Optoelectronic components and in particular those which comprise an organic functional material such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), for example, can be extremely sensitive to effects of the surrounding atmosphere, for example, to moisture and oxygen. For protection therefrom, therefore, for a long operating life it is necessary to hermetically seal organic optoelectronic components.
By way of example, it is known to encapsulate organic optoelectronic components with a glass cover, for example, in the form of a glass substrate having a cavity, by adhesively bonding the glass cover with an adhesive layer on the substrate of the component. Usually, a non-transparent liquid-absorbing substance (getter) composed of zeolite is also adhesively bonded into the cavity to bind moisture or oxygen which can penetrate through the adhesive as described, for example, in US 2004/0108811 A1.
Furthermore, thin-film encapsulations comprising thin films which seal an organic optoelectronic component with respect to moisture and oxygen are known. Compared to encapsulation with a glass cover, thin-film encapsulation is more readily industrializable and is therefore given preference for further development. Examples of thin-film encapsulations are described in DE 102008031405, DE 102008048472, DE 102008019900 and DE 102009024411.
Inorganic optoelectronic components, for example, inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), also have a certain sensitivity and an ageing behavior caused by moisture. Therefore, such components are usually encapsulated in a plastic, for example, with a silicone potting. Furthermore, it is also possible to protect inorganic optoelectronic components against harmful substances by a thin-film encapsulation mentioned above.
It has been found, however, that thin-film encapsulations often do not have the moisture stability and impermeability necessary for a high long-term stability of optoelectronic components. It could therefore be helpful to provide such an optoelectronic component.